The Start of Something New
by MrsNicolasCage
Summary: When Nicolas Cage starts going to East High School, he is afraid that he won't fit in, but when Nic meets studly Troy Bolton, will this be the Start of Something New?
1. Chapter 1

Nicolas Cage walked into East High, his face pointed down and his arms wrapped around his

books. It was his first day at a new high school, and he was nervous. He had just turned 17 two days

ago, on January 7th, but the happy feelings had turned into butterflies in his stomach. As Nic entered

the school, he noticed that most of the other teens were gathered in small circles, talking to their

friends.

_Oh Great. _Nic thought. _How will I ever fit in here? Everyone already knows each other! _The bell

rung, and Nic scuttled off to his first period class. He looked around at all the new faces. Many of his

classmates had not settled down in their seats yet, but rather they had gathered around two desks.

"Everyone in your seats!" Nic heard a loud voice coming from the front of the classroom. The

crowd dispersed as the teacher brought order to the room. Nic saw that the two previously crowded

desks contained a boy and a girl. The girl had long, dark curls and was wearing a yellow dress. She

was smiling despite having been yelled at. Nic turned his gaze to the boy sitting next to her. He was

the single most beautiful creature Nic had ever laid his eyes upon. His luscious brown hair swept

across his forehead, and his basketball jersey clung to his toned body. On the back of the Jersey, the

word _BOLTON_ was printed in white block letters.

Before Nicolas knew it, the class had ended and students were filing their way out of the door.

Nic quickly gathered his things and scuttled out the door. As he passed through the doorway, his foot

slipped on the slick linoleum floor and his materials scattered across the hallway.

_Great. _Nic thought. _Way to make a good first impression to the school, especially in front of that _

_Bolton boy. _Nicolas was so angry at himself. He raised his head to see who had noticed his spill and

came face to face with a pair of stunning blue eyes. It was Bolton!

"Are you alright?" The boy asked, extending his hand to help Nicolas up. Nic gratefully grasped

his muscular hand and brushed himself off.

"I'm fine. Just a little embarrassed." Nicolas smiled bashfully. The boy snickered as he helped

Nic gather his scattered books.

"You're the new kid, right? My name's Troy. Troy Bolton." _Troy._ Nic thought. _What a perfect _

_name._

"I'm Nicolas. Nicolas Cage." The two shook hands, their eyes lingering on one another for just a

bit longer than normal. Suddenly, the black haired girl exited the classroom and took Troy's hand.

"Ready to go to class, Troy?" the girl asked, fixated on Troy's face.

"Sure thing, Gabriella." Troy replied, peeling his eyes away from Nic. With one final wave

goodbye from Troy, the two took off down the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

Nicolas sighed. It was his first day at a new school and he had already met the man of his dreams.

Unfortunately, he seemed to already be in a relationship. Still, the way Troy looked at him, the way

Troy held his hand, gave Nic hope that maybe he felt something, too. Nic made his way through the

school day the thoughts of his first meeting with Troy still fresh in his mind. His brain was clouded with

questions and feelings that would only be quelled by meeting the boy again.

Nic shuffled into the lunchroom. The morning had been a blur. He looked around at crowded

tables, seeking a place to sit. To Nic's surprise, he saw a hand waving at him. _My Gosh…_ Nicolas

thought upon examining the waving student further. _It's him! _Nicolas beamed as he walked over the

jock's table and sat down in an empty seat next to Troy.

"Hey, Troy!" Nic smiled exuberantly at the boy. "You don't mind if I sit here?"

"Hey, man! I'd _love _if you hung out with us!" Troy's smile seemed to brighten the room. As Troy

introduced the other jocks, Nic only seemed to hear one word. _Love._ He knew that Troy didn't mean

anything by it other than a friendly gesture, but something inside of Nic made him wish that Troy _had_

meant more than friendship. Nicolas blushed and gave a shy wave to the team after Troy had stopped

talking.

After school, Nicolas was still feeling the emotions of the day. Things had gone so much better

than planned! Nicolas waved goodbye to a few of his new jock friends as he headed for his bus.

Nicolas slumped down in his chair and took out his phone to text some of his friends back home about

his amazing first day.

"I guess I'm the one asking for a seat now." Nicolas jumped at the voice. He couldn't believe the

luck he was having today.

"You want to sit here, Troy?" Nicolas questioned.

"Of course I want to sit with my new pal!". The feeling of Troy's leg against his own made

Nicolas blush. Shivers were shooting up and down his; spine. Nic had never felt this way before about

anyone. The two chatted for their entire 20-minute bus ride. Nicolas treasured every new piece of

information he learned about the boy. He played many sports and was Captain of the basketball team

that his dad coached. He was a Junior and 17, like Nic. He felt pressure from his father and the team

to lead the basketball team to victory, but he really wanted to join the musical with Gabriella.

"Don't tell anyone though." Troy laughed. "The team would kill me." Nicolas promised he

wouldn't, but encouraged him to follow his dreams.

"Listen, Troy, if you want to, I could try out with you. I wouldn't mind." Troy smiled and thanked

Nic, promising to think about his offer. Soon, the bus had reached Nicolas' stop.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Nicolas called to Troy. Troy waved him goodbye. After the bus had left,

Nicolas practically skipped home. This school year would be amazing, especially since he could be

close to Troy, even if it was just as friends.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day passed by quickly for Nicolas. During lunch, Troy had invited Nic to hang out with

him and the guys at a new gym that had opened recently. Nicolas happily accepted. Nic was fairly

athletic but had never really played sports. Nicolas enjoyed hiking and jogging recreationally. It was an

exhilarating pastime that kept Nic in shape and allowed him to discover new places. When the school

day was finally over, Nicolas and Troy rode in the backseat of Chad's car. Chad and Raoul, two other

boys on the team, rode in front. After about ten minutes, they arrived, shortly followed by the rest of

the team. The rowdy group went inside and headed for the locker rooms.

"Um… Troy?" Nicolas said nervously, taking him aside from the rest of the group. "I didn't bring

any gym clothes…"

"Oh that's fine! You can borrow some of mine! I always bring extra." Troy replied. He handed

Nic a sleeveless shirt with "Wildcats" printed across the front in bold red letters and a pair of basketball

shorts.

"Thanks!" Nic replied. Many of the guys were already headed for the gym equipment, so Troy

and Nic found lockers and proceeded to change in the nearly empty locker room. Nic couldn't help but

sneak a few glances at Troy as he removed his shirt. Troy's chiseled chest seemed to shine in the

glow of the locker room's lighting. His muscular arms would make any man jealous. Nicolas looked

away quickly as to not raise any suspicions. He had just met this boy and did not want to make things

uncomfortable for him. However, Nicolas could have sworn that he saw Troy looking him over out of

the corner of his eye as he changed himself.

The two walked out to join the other guys. Troy led Nic to a bench press.

"Hey Nic, can you spot me?" Nic promptly agreed to Troy's request and stood watch over him

as Troy began lifting weights. _He's so close to me. _Nic thought as he watched Troy's perfect face that

was mere inches away from him. Looking at Troy's face contort as he struggled lifting the heavy

weights turned Nic on. He felt the blood rush away from his brain and to his groin. His groin started

feeling warm, and he started getting an erection as his mind explored all the ways he could make Troy

make that face. He had to awkwardly shift the way he was standing so Troy did not see his growing

erection, but to no avail. His erection brushed up against Troy's soft brown hair and gently slide the

hair out of his eyes. Nic panicked. _Had he known what that was? _Nic thought. "Thanks, man. That hair

was getting annoying," Troy said. Nic let out a sigh of relief. Troy thought it was just Nic brushing the

bangs out of his eyes. Lucky for Nicolas, Troy was too immersed in his weight lifting that he did not

notice what actually brushed the hair out of his face.

After Troy was done, Nic suggested that they run on the treadmills for a little while.

"I love to run." Nic said as they jogged side by side on the treadmills. "It makes me feel so

invigorated, you know."

"I think I know exactly what you mean." Troy smiled back at Nicolas. The way Troy said those

words made Nic turn away from him, blushing. He couldn't help but feel as if Troy was trying to tell

Nicolas more than the fact that he found exercise exhilarating. It was as if Troy also felt that being with

Nicolas was exhilarating. Nic couldn't know for sure, but he hoped that Troy was enjoying this time as

much as he was. Simply being around Troy made Nic's heart flutter.

After a few more stations in the gym, Nicolas was tired. He was sore, but it was a good kind of

sore.

"Listen Troy," Nicolas said, breathless not only from the exercise, but also from seeing how

beautiful Troy could look even when sweaty, "I'm beat. I think I'm going to head home."

"No problem. Hey, Nic…" Troy put his hand delicately on Nic's shoulder. "Thanks for hanging

out with us. We should chill sometime." Nicolas nodded eagerly and started to walk home. Nicolas

could not think of a more perfect day.


	4. Chapter 4

When Nic got home from the gym, he fell asleep almost instantly. His dreams were filled with images

of Troy, and the boy's kind voice echoed throughout Nic's head. His dreams had gotten so vivid that he

had woken up with stickiness in his briefs. Nicolas sighed and checked the time. _5:45am, perfect _

_timing _Nic thought. He took off his sticky undergarments and hopped in the shower.

After an hour Nicolas was finally ready. He grabbed a banana and scuttled out to catch the bus.

He only ate half of his banana when the bus had pulled up to his stop. He threw the peel and

remaining banana to the side, and walked towards the bus. When he trudged up the bus steps,

he saw that Troy was sitting in the back.

"Hey, Troy," Nic said, plopping down next to Troy. Troy looked at Nicolas as a smile grew on his

face.

"Hey, Nic!" Troy said cheerfully.

Nicolas could not explain why he had such an attraction to Troy. There was no doubt that Troy was a

beautiful human being, but there was more to him. Nic did not know what it was, but he felt pulled to

Troy, as if it was fate that they met.

"Any plans for today, Troy?" Nic asked curiously.

"Sort of. I am going to-," Troy cut himself off, "actually, what are you doing during free period?"

he asked Nic.

"I think I have to talk to teachers about work I need to catch up on, but that is not important.

Why?" Nic asked curiously.

"Can you come to the auditorium? I need your help," Troy flashed him another smile.

_Oh my gosh. Troy wants MY help? I wonder with what… _Nic thought.

Nic placed his hand on Troy's shoulder and smiled, "Of course! I will help you with anything!".

Troy's eyes locked on Nic's and Nic felt his face turn to a rosy blush. Troy must have noticed

because he blushed as well.

As the bus pulled up to East High School, Nic and Troy walked to class together. Nic was a bit

disappointed when they got to class. Troy had separated from him to go to Gabriella's desk to

give her a hug and a quick peck on the lips, although Troy smiled at Nic right after he did that.

The class flew by for Nic as he daydreamed about what Troy would need him for.

_What if he tells me he wants to be more than friends? What if he is breaking up with Gabriella _

_for me? What if he kisses me? _Nic thought.

The school bell snapped Nic out of his reverie and back into reality.

He was gathering the books off his desk as Troy walked by. "See you free period!" Troy said as

he was rushing out the door.

Nic got a whiff of Troy as he swiftly moved past his desk. His scent was light, but manly. Nic

could tell he used an expensive brand of cologne, not the generic aerosol cans of body spray

boys his age use. Nic savored the smell of Troy for the few seconds it was still in the air. As the

smell left the vicinity, Nic trotted out of the room.

The next few classes dragged on for Nic. His mind kept replaying the same questions about

Troy. After a while, Nic began to wonder, _was Troy using him? _Nic wondered what a guy like

that would want with a guy like him. _This is probably a huge plan to embarrass the new kid._

_There is no way a boy like Troy would want anything to do with me_. _Should I even go to the _

_auditorium?..._


	5. Chapter 5

Nic's curiosity got the better of him and as the bell rang for free period, he headed down to the

auditorium. When he entered the large empty room, he felt so small. He could understand why

Troy wanted to be in the spotlight. He would be on top of the world on the stage, even more so

than when he plays basketball and scores the winning basket.

He looked around and did not see Troy anywhere in the auditorium. _I knew it, _Nic thought to

himself. _Troy was too good for me anyway. _Nicolas let out a disappointed sigh and turned

around to leave. Just as he opened the door to leave he heard that beautiful voice.

"Not leaving so soon, are you?" Troy asked playfully. Nic's heart fluttered as he turned around

to see Troy standing on the stage, leaning on the piano.

"I didn't think you were here," Nic said, making his way to the stage. "I was here the whole time.

It was just entertaining to see you all wonderstruck by our auditorium," Troy stated.

_He saw me looking around the auditorium like an idiot. Oh my gosh, this is so embarrassing._

"Yeah! This place is huge!" Nic said confidently, although feeling quite inferior to Troy.

Troy smiled at Nic and beckoned him to the stage.

"Okay, Nic," Troy began. "Remember how I said I wanted to try out for the musical with

Gabriella?"

"Yeah," Nic said nodding.

"Well I asked you down here for your opinion. If I sing to you, will you be brutally honest and tell

me if I suck?" Troy said, rather insecurely.

It was odd for Nic to see Troy vulnerable. He seemed to be so confident all the time and so sure

in what he was doing.

_Wow. He really trusts me. I feel bad for doubting him and thinking he would try to embarrass _

_me…_

"Go ahead, Troy. I will be one-hundred percent honest with you," Nic placed his hand on Troy's

shoulder, "trust me."

Troy smiled and cleared his throat. He pulled out a sheet of paper out of his pocket with lyrics

on it and the words "_**BREAKING FREE**_" scrawled in bold letters on the top of the page. Troy

began humming to warm up his voice.

"We're soaring, flyi-" Troy's voice broke and his face turned a deep shade of red. Troy looked

down at his feet and mumbled softly, "That wasn't supposed to happen…"

Nic giggled a bit which made Troy look up at him with cute puppy dog eyes.

"Don't worry, Troy. You sound fine. There is no music and you're nervous, it happens to the best

of us," Nic remained smiling, "do you want me to sing it with you?"

Troy's face lit up at the suggestion. "Yes! That would be great! Here," Troy shuffled around in his

pocket and pulled out another piece of paper with the same lyrics on it, "sing this with me!"

The paper said the same thing except there was a "G", for what Nic assumed stood for

Gabriella, written in nice cursive handwriting in the top right corner.

Troy cleared his throat again.

"We're soaring, flying. There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," This time he did not

mess up. His voice hit every note perfectly and his vibrato sent shivers down Nic's spine.

"If we're trying, so we're breaking free," Nic sang afterwards. Nic's voice was a more rough,

raspy tone, but it fit so well after Troy's.

"You know the world can see us in a way that's different than who we are," Troy said smiling at

Nic. It was a flirty kind of smile that made Nic feel flushed.

"Creating space between us, till we're separate hearts," Nic looked down while singing that,

trying to avoid eye contact with Troy. He was afraid that Troy would be able to tell how he was

feeling by looking into his eyes.

"But your faith it gives me strength, strength to believe," Troy and Nic sang in unison. Troy

walked closer to Nic and he put his arm around him in the '_you're a bro' _kind of way.

"We're breaking free!" Troy yelled ridiculously, which made Nic giggle. "Thanks, man," Troy

said, pulling Nic into a hug. Nic gasped lightly as he felt Troy's hard body pressed up against

him, while his toned arms were tightening around him. Nic hugged Troy back. They stayed in

the embrace for longer than normal guy friends would, but none of them seemed to let go. After

the hug broke up Troy looked at Nic with a smile on his face with caused Nic to smile back

involuntarily.

"Troy! Sorry I'm so late... I had to finish writing an essay for science." Gabriella came in smiling

and waving at Troy.

"Hey, Gabriella." Troy said, sort of monotone. Gabriella did not notice the disinterest though.

"Troy, can you come over here?" Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and pulled him about six feet

away from Nic.

"What's wrong, Gabriella?" Troy asked her.

Nic's thoughts trailed off for a few seconds.

_What are they talking about? Troy is an amazing singer. I swear we had a moment back there…_

"But, Troy, we are supposed to audition with that song," Gabriella said, a little louder than she

was talking before. This snapped Nic out of his daydream and caused him to eaves drop.

"We are going to, Gabriella. Nic was just helping me practice. I was really nervous and he

helped me," Troy said quietly to comfort Gabriella.

"Okay," Gabriella said all bubbly as she smiled and gently kissed him on the cheek.

The bell rang, bringing an end to free period. Gabriella was pulling Troy down the stairs of the

stage by the hand to make sure they get to their next class in time.

"Thanks again!" Troy shouted as he was being pulled out of the auditorium. He looked back at

Nic and smiled one more time at him before leaving the room completely.

_All that in one period… _Nic thought to himself as he gathered his belongings and trekked to his

next class.


	6. Chapter 6

Nicolas Cage was excited. Today after school, Troy was coming over to his house so he could practice

for the musical auditions. Over the past few days, Troy had become more comfortable with singing in

front of Nic and said that being around a good friend helped ease his nerves. Gabriella had gotten a

little jealous at first, but she got over this jealousy once she had heard how much Troy was improving.

The school day seemed to flash by. Before Nicolas knew it, he was sitting on the bus next to Troy.

The two left together when the bus reached Nic's house. _He's going to be inside my house. _Nic

mused. The thought gave him a strange pleasure. The two entered through Nic's back door and into

the living room. Nic's house was modest with a friendly warmth throughout. Nic was always the most

comfortable at home, but something about being here with Troy made him feel nervous.

"Alright, we're here." Nicolas said, throwing his backpack in a corner of the room. "Where would you

like to practice? If you wanted some more privacy we could use my room?" _Ahh, why would you be so _

_obvious, Nic? _he thought. _You're weirding him out! _

"Sounds great, Nic!" Troy replied as Nic let out a sigh of relief. He took Troy by his muscular arm to

the house's loft, where Nic had his bedroom. It was a small but comfortable space that was separated

from the rest of the house by a set of winding stairs.

"No one should hear us here." Nic said with a smile.

"Thanks, man." Troy said. "I still don't think I'm quite ready to sing in front of others..." Nic smiled

understandingly as the two sat down in front of the music score. Nic and Troy started singing, but Nic

noticed something was not right with Troy.

"What's the matter, Troy?" Nicolas placed his hand delicately on Troy's shoulder.

"Nothing, it's just..." Troy paused, looking Nicolas in his sparkling eyes. "... Gabriella has just been

so different lately... or maybe I've been so different. I don't know, I just feel so confused all of the time."

"Confused? Confused about what?" Nicolas questioned. He hated to see the man he loved so

upset.

"Oh, I don't know... Gabriella, the musical..." Troy placed a hand on Nic's. "...you." Nicolas gasped.

_Have I done something wrong?_

"Me? I confus-" before he could finish his sentence, Troy suddenly pressed his soft, moist lips

against Nic's own. Troy pulled away almost as quickly as he had kissed Nic.

"Sorry..." Troy stammered, blushing and collecting his things. "I've got to go..." Troy rushed out of

the room. Nicolas sat there, stunned. _Had he really just kissed me? _Nic thought. This was the moment

he had been hoping and praying for since the day he had met Troy. Nic was upset that Troy had run

away. _If only he knew how I feel... _Troy sighed. _I need to talk to Troy tomorrow about this. _For the rest

of the day, he couldn't help the grin on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Troy was not on the bus, and when Nic got to class, Troy had avoided any

eye contact. Nic looked down at his desk.

_Should I try to talk to him?_ Nic thought.

He looked back up towards Troy and noticed him looking over. When Troy had caught Nic's

eye, he quickly glanced away again. Nic's sigh was filled with sadness.

_I am so stupid. I should not have invited him to my room. Maybe this wouldn't have _

_happened…._

The bell sounded to bring an end to class, and Nic quickly gathered his belongings. He had

walked up to Troy before he could leave the room.

"Troy," Nic stated, "what is wrong with you?"

"Nic…" Troy said shyly while looking at his feet. He took a breath and looked back up at Nic.

"Come with me." Troy had waited until the halls cleared a bit and signaled for Nic to follow him.

Troy lured Nic to an unoccupied hallway. There was a flight of stairs leading somewhere Nic did

not know, but he trusted Troy. Troy was jogging up the stairs so fast it seemed that he had

forgotten about Nic behind him. When they reached the top, Nic saw what this mysterious area

was.

The rooftop was covered in an array of plants, but it was mostly flowers. A warm spring breeze

was blowing and caressed Nic's face, in a calming yet invigorating manner. Nic looked over at

Troy and noticed the gentle breeze blowing the lustrous hair out of his face. _This place is _

_beautiful _Nic thought.

Troy plopped down on the bench that was up there. Nic scuttled over to sit down next to him.

"Troy, why are you avoiding me?" Nic said in a disappointed voice. Troy looked at Nic with sad

eyes.

"Nic, trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you." Troy said, embarrassed. "It's just..."

Troy paused, "Ever since we met I have been so confused. I was so sure that I was going to

audition for the musical with Gabriella. Now, you're just getting in the way of everything." Troy

said harshly.

"Troy, I-I'm sorry. I really did not mean to mess up any of your plans," Nic said, "I thought I was helping

you."

"I did not mean to sound so mean," Troy said, apologizing for his harsh words, "It's just, I have

never felt this way about anybody, not even Gabriella. What I meant by you getting in the way

was, you're all I think about. When I'm singing with Gabriella, I am thinking about you. When I'm

playing basketball with my friends, I am thinking about you. I just can't get you out of my damn

mind."

Nic could not help but to smile at this.

_I can't believe he feels the same way that I do._

"Troy, I feel the same way. I did not want to ruin your relationship with Gabriella by telling you. I

just assumed you didn't feel the same way about me as I do about you." Nic said, looking down

at the ground and blushing.

Troy's face was flushed, but he had the most genuine smile that Nic has ever seen.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Nic closed the gap between them with

a kiss. The kiss was different this time; it was better. This time it did not catch Nic off guard. Nic

got to cherish the warmth and softness of Troy's kiss, and Troy was more relaxed. Nic cupped

Troy's cheek in his hand and pressed his other hand against Troy's muscular torso. Troy

grasped Nic's face with both hands and brushed a thumb lightly across Nicolas's cheek in the

process. Before things could get too steamy, the bell rang for the next class. Nicolas and Troy

pulled apart from the kiss, foreheads still pressed together.

"I think we should get to class, since we just skipped the last one." Troy said laughing.

"You're right. Too bad we can't stay up here." Nic said while reaching for Troy's hand,

interlocking their fingers.

"I wish we could too, but we can't have people getting too suspicious," Troy stated, "You know

we have to keep this a secret right?"

"Yeah, I do." Nic said sadly.

"I am sorry, Nic, I really am." Troy said. He gently kissed Nicolas on the forehead to show he was

sorry.

The two walked hand in hand back down the stairs they came up on earlier. When they got to

the bottom of the steps they made sure nobody was around, and bid farewell to each other

through a kiss.

_This feels like a dream…. _Nic thought, preparing to wake up. He separated from Troy to walk to

his next class.

When Nicolas got to his class, he sat down, ran his finger across his bottom lip, and smiled, thinking

about Troy's kiss.


End file.
